2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football Big East Conference Big East 6 6 11–2 5–2 Rich Rodriguez 7th regular season Bill Stewart interim; bowl game Calvin Magee 4th Spread option Jeff Casteel 6th 3–3–5 Milan Puskar Stadium Big East co-championFiesta Bowl championLambert-Meadowlands Trophy Fiesta Bowl W 48–28 vs. Oklahoma The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, sharing the Big East with Connecticut. West Virginia was invited the Fiesta Bowl, where the Mountaineers defeated No. 3-ranked Oklahoma. The Mountaineers were led during the regular season by Rich Rodriguez in his seventh and final season as head coach. On December 16, he announced that he was leaving West Virginia to become the head football coach at the University of Michigan. Assistant head coach Bill Stewart was appointed as interim head coach for the bowl game. The team played home games at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. West Virginia rose to the No. 2 in the AP poll and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings and No. 1 in the Coaches Poll of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings before the team's season finale against Pittsburgh, which the Mountaineers lost 13–9, knocking them out of contention for the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. West Virginia won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, awarded to the best college football team in the Eastern United States. Schedule 2007 AP Poll released prior to game Eastern September 1 3:30 p.m. w y 3 Western Michigan Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV ESPN Plus 62–24 60,563 September 8 11:00 a.m. w y y 3 Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV Friends of Coal Bowl ESPN2 48–23 40,383 September 13, 2007 7:30 p.m. w y y 4 Maryland Byrd Stadium College Park, MD rivalry ESPN 31–14 53,107 September 22 12:00 p.m. w y 5 East Carolina Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV ESPN2 48–7 60,021 September 28, 2007 8:00 p.m. l y 5 South Florida 18 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL ESPN2 13–21 67,018 October 6 12:00 p.m. w y 13 Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY rivalry ESPN Plus 55–14 35,345 October 20 3:30 p.m. w y y 9 Mississippi State Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV ESPN Plus 38–13 61,022 October 27 12:00 p.m. w y 6 Rutgers 25 Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ ABC 31–3 43,620 November 8, 2007 7:30 p.m. w 6 Louisville Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV Gold Rush ESPN 38–31 60,992 November 17 7:45 p.m. w y 5 Cincinnati 21 Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio rivalry ESPN 28–23 35,079 November 24 3:30 p.m. w 4 Connecticut 20 Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV ABC 66–21 59,701 December 1 7:45 p.m. l 2 Pittsburgh Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV Backyard Brawl ESPN 9–13 60,100 January 2, 2008 Wednesday 8:00 p.m. w y y 11 Oklahoma 3 University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ Fiesta Bowl FOX 48–28 70,016 Rankings 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings 4 7 15 3 (1) 3 (1) 4 5 5 13 8 9 6 7 6 5 (1) 4 (1) 2 (20) 11 6 6 4 4 5 5 12 9 7 6 7 6 5 (1) 3 (1) 1 (37) 9 6 5 11 8 8 6 7 6 5 3т 2 (45) 9 9 7 7 7 6 3 2 9 Preseason New uniforms West Virginia unveiled a new gold uniform with blue stripes design for the season. The tops have been featured with both blue and gold bottoms. The uniform is currently being featured as the alternate home uniform. Running back Steve Slaton sported the uniform when he attended the 2007 Playboy All-American honoring at the Playboy Mansion at the beginning of the preseason wearing it with white bottoms.http://www.broncosports.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?ATCLID=879132&SPSID=48553&SPID=4061&DB_OEM_ID=9900&PALBID=11377 Boise State 26 December 2022 July 8, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708095609/http://www.broncosports.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?ATCLID=879132&SPSID=48553&SPID=4061&DB_OEM_ID=9900&PALBID=11377 dead Spring practice West Virginia started spring practice on March 5. Mountaineer fans got an opportunity to get a first look at the 2007 football team during the annual Gold-Blue Game, which was held at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, April 7 at 12:30 p.m.. The offense won the contest 58–30, with the only touchdown being a 46-yard pass from Adam Bednarik to Wes Lyons. Backup running back Eddie Davis produced the most impressive performance. The major goals of spring practice were to improve the defense, find a solid backup for running back Steve Slaton, and work out the inexperienced class of receivers. The Mountaineers also needed to replace the center position, where All-American Dan Mozes left as a senior, and the guard position. Recruiting class The Mountaineers received 25 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 7, 2007. Florida all-purpose back Noel Devine created some controversy when he reported to the news that he had chosen West Virginia over Alabama. But on National Signing Day, Devine never signed his letter of intent, saying that after having a talk with mentor Deion Sanders, he decided to wait to see his SAT scores. He was most likely going to pursue a prep school season, then return to the recruiting scene for 2008. Noel then received word he had passed his tests, and so signed his LOI to attend WVU. In the preseason, Devine was named one of the top 10 impact freshman for 2007.Mark Schlabach, Illinois' Benn, ND's Clausen impact newcomers for 2007, ESPN.com, June 22, 2007. An additional recruit, LB Pat Lazear, was signed on February 16, 2007.Scout.com: Lazear Inks With WVU http://westvirginia.scout.com/2/619475.html Scout.com February 16, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070219054736/http://westvirginia.scout.com/2/619475.html February 19, 2007 dead yes yes Don Barclay OL Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania Seneca Valley HS 6 4 285 4.14 May 20, 2006 3 3 75 Asa Chapman DL Orange, Virginia Fork Union 6 5 360 5.50 February 4, 2007 2 3 60 Noel Devine RB North Fort Myers, Florida North Fort Myers HS 5 8 185 4.35 2007-03-30 5 5 87 Sidney Glover DB Warren, Ohio Warren G. Harding HS 5 11 215 4.50 December 8, 2008 3 3 79 Gino Gradkowski OL Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Seton-LaSalle HS 6 2 280 5.20 June 24, 2006 4 3 76 Andrew Harris WR St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg Catholic HS 6 2 185 4.68 September 8, 2008 3 2 40 Vincent Harris LB Cincinnati, Ohio LaSalle HS 6 2 220 4.50 October 6, 2006 3 3 73 Brandon Hogan Ath Manassas, Virginia Osbourn Senior HS 6 0 175 4.30 June 15, 2006 3 3 78 Will Johnson LB Centerville, Ohio Centerville HS 6 2 200 4.50 January 21, 2007 3 2 40 Terence Kerns RB Frederick, Maryland Thomas Johnson HS 6 1 230 4.46 April 12, 2006 3 4 77 Derek Knight DB Detroit, Michigan Renaissance HS 6 0 195 4.55 November 8, 2006 3 3 73 Ellis Lankster DB Mobile, Alabama Jones County JC 5 10 200 N/A December 10, 2006 4 4 N/A Pat Lazear LB Bethesda, Maryland Whitman HS, Wheaton HS 6 0 229 4.66 February 16, 2007 3 4 79 Junius Lewis DL Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown HS 6 2 250 4.91 May 6, 2006 4 3 73 Charles Matthews WR Solon, Ohio Solon HS 5 10 170 4.40 February 4, 2007 2 2 69 Julian Miller DE Columbus, Ohio Beechcroft HS 6 5 220 4.65 August 29, 2006 3 3 73 Evan Rodriguez DB North Bergen, New Jersey North Bergen HS 6 3 210 4.55 December 11, 2006 3 3 77 Charlie Russell QB Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown HS 6 3 210 4.97 March 5, 2006 4 3 78 Jock Sanders Ath St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg Catholic HS 5 8 185 4.58 September 5, 2006 3 2 78 P.J. Shirdan DB Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania Monsignor Bonner HS 6 1 190 4.50 August 16, 2006 4 3 40 Archie Sims LB Laurel, Mississippi Jones County JC 6 0 215 4.60 February 6, 2007 3 3 N/A Eain Smith DB Miramar, Florida Chaminade-Madonna HS 6 0 190 4.53 December 10, 2006 3 3 73 Chad Snodgrass OL Cross Lanes, West Virginia Nitro HS 6 3 290 5.42 June 19, 2006 3 3 40 Bradley Starks QB Unionville, Virginia Orange County HS 6 4 190 4.40 May 9, 2006 3 4 76 Keith Tandy DB Hopkinsville, Kentucky Christian County HS 5 11 185 4.40 November 22, 2006 3 3 64 Kendall Washington DB Canton, Ohio St. Thomas Aquinas HS 6 4 195 4.38 December 12, 2006 2 2 77 Tony Wood DB Blakeslee, Pennsylvania Lackawanna JC 6 0 180 4.40 November 12, 2006 2 2 N/A yes 2007 West Virginia Commit List for 2007 Scout.com Football Recruiting RecruitTracker 2007: West Virginia westvirginia 679 277 25 36 February 12, 2007 yes Game summaries December 2007 Western Michigan 2007 Western Michigan Broncos football team Broncos 6 8 7 3 No. 3 Mountaineers 14 14 21 13 Statistics WMUWVU First downs 18 25 Total yards 277 542 Rushing yards 32 316 Passing yards 261 227 Turnovers 3 2 Passing: comp–att–int 26–43–2 13–22–0 Team Category Player Statistics Western Michigan Passing Tim Hiller 16/25, 160 yards, 2 INT Rushing Glenis Thompson 8 rushes, 23 yards Receiving Jamarko Simmons 14 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD West Virginia Passing Pat White 10/18, 192 yards, 2 TD Rushing Steve Slaton 16 rushes, 109 yards, 3 TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 5 receptions, 92 yards The Mountaineers put up the most points since 2001 against Rutgers (80–7 win) when they defeated the Broncos 62–24. Pat White put up two rushing (97 total yards) and two passing touchdowns (196 total yards) while Steve Slaton rushed for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also catching a 58-yard touchdown pass from White. Freshman sensation Noel Devine scored his first touchdown of his career, while also rushing for 44 yards. Darius Reynaud had 92 yards receiving on 5 catches. The team wore traditional blue jerseys with gold pants. At Marshall 2007 Marshall Thundering Herd football team Friends of Coal Bowl No. 3 Mountaineers 6 0 21 21 Thundering Herd 3 10 10 0 Statistics WVUMRSH First downs 27 17 Total yards 511 387 Rushing yards 362 121 Passing yards 155 281 Turnovers 0 1 Passing: comp–att–int 13–18–0 20–32–0 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 13/18, 149 yards, 2 TD Rushing Steve Slaton 24 rushes, 146 yards, 2 TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 9 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TD Marshall Passing Bernard Morris 19/29, 256 yards, 2 TD Rushing Darius Marshall 11 rushes, 80 yards Receiving Cody Slate 5 receptions, 82 yards, TD The Mountaineers traveled to Huntington, for the first time in over 90 years and got off to a slow start in losing 13–6 at halftime, but Steve Slaton's two touchdowns and 146 yards helped the Mountaineers pull out the win to capture the Governors Trophy. Pat White went 13 of 18 for 149 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 125 yards and a score. Freshman Noel Devine rushed for a touchdown and 76 yards on only five carries as well. The team wore all white uniforms. At Maryland 2007 Maryland Terrapins football team No. 4 Mountaineers 7 7 14 3 Terrapins 7 0 0 7 Statistics WVUMD First downs 21 15 Total yards 448 269 Rushing yards 353 89 Passing yards 105 206 Turnovers 3 3 Passing: comp–att–int 8–13–0 16–24–2 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 8/13, 95 yards Rushing Steve Slaton 26 rushes, 137 yards, 3 TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 4 receptions, 55 yards Maryland Passing Jordan Steffy 16/23, 180 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Keon Lattimore 21 rushes, 80 yards, TD Receiving Darrius Heyward-Bey 3 receptions, 56 yards Freshman running back Noel Devine stole the spotlight from Patrick White and Steve Slaton as he rushed for 136 yards on only 5 carries. Slaton rushed for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, while White had an off day of 95 yards passing and one rushing touchdown. This marked the 4th straight win over rival Maryland. The team wore white jerseys and blue pants. East Carolina 2007 East Carolina Pirates football team Pirates 0 0 0 7 No. 5 Mountaineers 10 17 14 7 Statistics ECUWVU First downs 12 29 Total yards 160 599 Rushing yards 106 397 Passing yards 95 203 Turnovers 1 0 Passing: comp–att–int 9–18–1 22–25–0 Team Category Player Statistics East Carolina Passing Patrick Pinkney 7/14, 43 yards, INT Rushing Chris Johnson 14 rushes, 76 yards, TD Receiving Chris Johnson 3 receptions, 13 yards West Virginia Passing Pat White 18/20, 181 yards, 2 TD Rushing Steve Slaton 18 rushes, 110 yards, TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 5 receptions, 54 yards, 2 TD The Mountaineers had their most complete game of the season as they almost pitched a shutout. The Pirates scored with less than a minute left in the game against the second-team defense, but the Mountaineers only allowed 160 total yards on the day. Pat White went 18 for 20 (90% completion percentage set a school record) for 181 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two more scores. Steve Slaton rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown, which tied a school record for most career rushing touchdowns (42). Darius Reynaud, who played with a shoulder injury, had two touchdown receptions and a 64-yard run. Linebacker Mortty Ivy helped the defense out with an interception and a forced fumble. The team wore all blue uniforms. At No. 18 South Florida 2007 South Florida Bulls football team No. 5 Mountaineers 0 3 3 7 No. 18 Bulls 7 7 7 0 Statistics WVUUSF First downs 21 13 Total yards 437 274 Rushing yards 188 139 Passing yards 266 150 Turnovers 6 4 Passing: comp–att–int 23–38–3 11–20–2 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Jarrett Brown 11/20, 149 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Jarrett Brown 15 rushes, 61 yards Receiving Dorrell Jalloh 5 receptions, 87 yards South Florida Passing Matt Grothe 11/20, 135 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Jamar Taylor 15 rushes, 58 yards, TD Receiving Carlton Mitchell 1 reception, 55 yards, TD In front of an expected record-breaking crowd at Raymond James Stadium, the Mountaineers were defeated by the #18 South Florida Bulls. WVU committed 6 turnovers during the game and starting QB Pat White didn't play in the second half. The team wore all white. At Syracuse No. 13 Mountaineers 14 17 10 14 Orange 7 0 7 0 Statistics WVUSYR First downs 25 11 Total yards 486 202 Rushing yards 251 94 Passing yards 235 121 Turnovers 0 3 Passing: comp–att–int 18–21–0 6–16–2 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 12/15, 148 yards, TD Rushing Pat White 14 rushes, 89 yards, TD Receiving Steve Slaton 4 receptions, 51 yards Syracuse Passing Andrew Robinson 5/15, 100 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Curtis Brinkley 18 rushes, 50 yards, TD Receiving Mike Williams 2 receptions, 72 yards, TD The Mountaineers rebounded in a big way by trouncing the Orange to win the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy despite losing quarterback Pat White to a chest muscle strain and running back Steve Slaton to only 69 yards rushing. The team wore traditional white jerseys with gold pants. Mississippi State 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team Bulldogs 0 7 6 0 No. 9 Mountaineers 28 3 0 7 Statistics MSSTWVU First downs 12 15 Total yards 214 346 Rushing yards 45 262 Passing yards 192 84 Turnovers 3 1 Passing: comp–att–int 18–35–0 12–20–1 Team Category Player Statistics Mississippi State Passing Wesley Carroll 18/35, 169 yards Rushing Anthony Dixon 20 rushes, 61 yards, TD Receiving Tony Burks 6 receptions, 41 yards West Virginia Passing Pat White 8/12, 61 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Steve Slaton 23 rushes, 127 yards, TD Receiving Steve Slaton 4 receptions, 36 yards The Mountaineers jumped to an early 28–0 lead by the end of the 1st quarter and cruised to a 38–13 win. This marked the first game for the new gold jerseys, which were worn with blue pants. At No. 25 Rutgers 2007 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team No. 6 Mountaineers 7 10 7 7 No. 25 Scarlet Knights 0 3 0 0 Statistics WVURUTG First downs 15 20 Total yards 398 314 Rushing yards 254 183 Passing yards 149 131 Turnovers 0 4 Passing: comp–att–int 10–16–0 15–31–2 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 10/16, 144 yards Rushing Pat White 22 rushes, 156 yards, TD Receiving Steve Slaton 1 reception, 51 yards Rutgers Passing Mike Teel 14/30, 128 yards, 2 INT Rushing Ray Rice 30 rushes, 142 yards Receiving Tiquan Underwood 7 receptions, 59 yards Rutgers was expected to perform well against West Virginia, since the Scarlet Knights had previously beaten #2 ranked South Florida. Steve Slaton led the way with 3 rushing touchdowns against #25(AP) Rutgers in WVU's 13th straight win over the Scarlet Knights. Ray Rice rushed for 142 yards breaking a Rutgers school record for most 100+ yard games. The team wore all white. Louisville 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team Louisville 0 14 7 10 No. 6 Mountaineers 14 7 10 7 Statistics LOUWVU First downs 24 17 Total yards 382 397 Rushing yards 37 216 Passing yards 373 183 Turnovers 5 3 Passing: comp–att–int 27–46–2 16–25–0 Team Category Player Statistics Louisville Passing Brian Brohm 27/46, 345 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing George Stripling 12 rushes, 23 yards Receiving George Stripling 8 receptions, 105 yards West Virginia Passing Pat White 16/25, 181 yards, 2 TD Rushing Pat White 24 rushes, 147 yards, TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 6 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TD By halftime West Virginia had a 21–14 lead. Louisville was able to take advantage of the Mountaineer's mistakes(WVU had 3 turnovers and 11 penalties for 116 yards) and were able to spark a comeback but West Virginia broke the 31–31 tie when Pat White ran for a 50 yd TD with a little over a minute to play. Brian Brohm was intercepted in the final seconds of the game ending Louisville's attempt to tie the game and send it into overtime. The team wore all gold uniforms, and most of the crowd also wore gold. At No. 21 Cincinnati 2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team No. 5 Mountaineers 7 14 0 7 No. 21 Bearcats 7 3 0 13 Statistics WVUCIN First downs 24 17 Total yards 435 407 Rushing yards 295 84 Passing yards 140 350 Turnovers 3 3 Passing: comp–att–int 13–19–1 19–34–0 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 13/19, 140 yards, INT Rushing Pat White 27 rushes, 155 yards, 2 TD Receiving Steve Slaton 3 receptions, 48 yards Cincinnati Passing Ben Mauk 19/34, 323 yards, 2 TD Rushing Ben Mauk 15 rushes, 52 yards Receiving Marcus Barnett 10 receptions, 210 yards, 2 TD For the second straight game West Virginia made a double-digit second-half lead interesting by coughing up the football. And for the second straight game the Mountaineers were able to hold on for a victory by defeating No. 21 Cincinnati 28–23 to keep its Big East title hopes alive. Pat White finished the game with 295 yards of total offense, rushing 27 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns and completing 13 of 19 passes for 140 yards. Sophomore safety Boogie Allen recovered a Cincinnati onside kick to save the Mountaineers' win. The team wore white jerseys and blue pants. No. 20 Connecticut 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team No. 20 Huskies 7 7 0 7 No. 3 Mountaineers 14 10 21 21 Statistics CONNWVU First downs 22 26 Total yards 392 624 Rushing yards 203 517 Passing yards 224 109 Turnovers 4 1 Passing: comp–att–int 18–34–0 9–13–1 Team Category Player Statistics Connecticut Passing Tyler Lorenzen 14/28, 151 yards, TD Rushing Donald Brown 22 rushes, 129 yards, TD Receiving Brad Kanuch 3 receptions, 63 yards, TD West Virginia Passing Pat White 9/13, 107 yards, TD, INT Rushing Pat White 16 rushes, 186 yards, 2 TD Receiving Darius Reynaud 5 receptions, 76 yards, TD West Virginia rushed for 517 yards(415 of which came in the second half) and clinched their 5th Big East title with 66–21 win over UConn. Pat White went 9/13 passing for 107 yards and a TD, as well as rushing for a season high 186 yards 16 on carries and 2 TDs. Freshman RB Noel Devine also added 118 yards on the ground with a TD. Steve Slaton also went over the 1,000 yard mark on the season for the 3rd straight year. The win clinched the Big East automatic Bowl Championship Series berth, and coupled with the previous day's upset over then #1 LSU by unranked Arkansas, as well as #2 Kansas' loss to #4 Missouri, put the Mountaineers in a position to play for a berth in National Championship game with a win over rival Pitt the next week. The team wore traditional blue jerseys and gold pants. Pittsburgh 2007 Pittsburgh Panthers football team 2007 Backyard Brawl Backyard Brawl Panthers 0 3 7 3 No. 2 Mountaineers 0 7 0 2 Statistics PITTWVU First downs 15 12 Total yards 225 183 Rushing yards 158 104 Passing yards 72 93 Turnovers 2 5 Passing: comp–att–int 10–19–2 9–16–0 Team Category Player Statistics Pittsburgh Passing Pat Bostick 10/19, 67 yards, 2 INT Rushing LeSean McCoy 38 rushes, 148 yards Receiving Oderick Turner 3 receptions, 29 yards West Virginia Passing Pat White 5/10, 50 yards Rushing Pat White 14 rushes, 41 yards Receiving Darius Reynaud 3 receptions, 46 yards WVU entered the game against Pitt as 28 point favorites to win the 100th Backyard Brawl and earn a berth in the BCS championship game. The Mountaineers, however, could never get their high-powered offense going against the Panthers and were hurt by fumbles, missed field goals, and ineffective performances by Steve Slaton and Pat White, the latter of whom missed part of the game with a thumb injury. Pittsburgh, starting their backup QB Pat Bostick, was equally ineffective at moving the ball outside of the play of LeSean McCoy. Trailing by one possession late in the fourth quarter, West Virginia twice had the ball in Pitt territory, with both drives ending in Pat White being stopped on downs. The final Pitt possession saw the Panthers run the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety as the clock expired, ending WVU's National Championship hopes. Vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl) 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team 2008 Fiesta Bowl No. 11 Mountaineers 6 14 14 14 No. 3 Sooners 0 6 9 13 Statistics WVUOKLA First downs 17 25 Total yards 525 398 Rushing yards 349 176 Passing yards 176 222 Turnovers 0 1 Passing: comp–att–int 10–19–0 22–34–1 Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Pat White 10/19, 176 yards, 2 TD Rushing Pat White 20 rushes, 150 yards Receiving Noel Devine 2 receptions, 47 yards Oklahoma Passing Sam Bradford 22/34, 245 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Allen Patrick 14 rushes, 81 yards Receiving Quentin Chaney 4 receptions, 129 yards, TD WVU entered the game as seven-point underdogs to the #3 Oklahoma Sooners, who were thought by some to be the best team in the country. Former head coach Rich Rodriguez had recently taken the head coaching position at the University of Michigan, leaving West Virginia with interim head coach Bill Stewart. West Virginia halfback Steve Slaton was taken out of the game early on with a hamstring injury, leaving the Mountaineers with freshman Noel Devine. West Virginia scored early with two field goals by Pat McAfee to take the lead, 6–0, into the second quarter. Sam Bradford was intercepted by Mountaineer safety Quinton Andrews early on, but the Sooners bounced back with a field goal to make it 6–3. However, fullback Owen Schmitt led the Mountaineers to their first touchdown on a 57-yard run to make the score 13–3. Oklahoma returned with a field goal to make it 13–6, but West Virginia ended the first half with a pass from their star quarterback, Pat White to a wide-open Darius Reynaud for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 20–6 at halftime. Linebacker Reed Williams won the Defensive MVP award, while backup linebacker J.T. Thomas recorded 6 tackles. Oklahoma came back in the second half early with a field goal, followed by a goal line touchdown run by Chris Brown. The Sooners went for a 2-point conversion after the touchdown, but Bradford's pass was incomplete, leaving the score at 20–15. The Mountaineers answered back with a 17-yard run by Noel Devine for the touchdown to put the Mountaineers up 27–15. The Mountaineers scored again to end the third quarter, this time on a 30-yard reverse run by Darius Reynaud, to put the Mountaineers up 34–15 going into the fourth quarter. The Sooners scored early again, off of a Bradford pass to Quentin Chaney, but yet again failed a 2-point conversion attempt. West Virginia continued to roll however, as White hooked up with receiver Tito Gonzales for a 79-yard touchdown pass to put the Mountaineers up 41–21. The pass was the longest play in West Virginia school bowl history. Oklahoma scored again on a Bradford pass, this time to Juaquin Iglesias, but this time kicked the extra point to make the score 41–28. The Mountaineers sealed the game with six minutes left on a 65-yard touchdown run by Noel Devine, his second score of the game. The West Virginia Mountaineers totaled 349 rushing yards in the victory. Pat White totaled 176 yards and two touchdowns passing while rushing for 150 yards. Noel Devine rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, while Owen Schmitt totaled 64 yards and a score on three carries. Sam Bradford recorded 242 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception passing for the Sooners. Allen Patrick rushed for 82 yards on 14 carries, while Chris Brown rushed for 50 yards and a score on 16 carries. Quentin Chaney grabbed 4 passes for 129 yards and a score while receiver Juaquin Iglesias returned seven kicks for 195 yards. References West Virginia Category:West Virginia Mountaineers football seasons Category:Fiesta Bowl champion seasons Category:Big East Conference football champion seasons Category:Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons West Virginia Mountaineers football